Cooking

May 13, 1988|By Terence Poltrack, Video Magazine

-- The Silver Palate Good Times Live (Paramount/Simon and Schuster, 40 minutes, $24.95). They couldn't leave well-done alone. By now, anyone who knows his or her way around a veal chop is familiar with The Silver Palate Cookbook and its follow-up, The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Borrowing from their experiences operating a tiny Manhattan take-out, Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins took to print with clear instructions to help even the most fast-food-minded turn out dishes that may surprise the cook as much as the guests. Now comes the video, another example of print triumphing over new technologies. Despite the enthusiasm of the hostess, the sugar in this recipe far outweighs the flour. There are some practical tips -- how to brew cappuccino without a machine, judge perfect produce, grill with skill -- but they receive superficial treatment. The rest of the program is given over to ''Be creative!'' exclamations, some perfectly awful music and too many shots of the creators' friends enjoying the fruits of the project. Frankly, who cares?